For example, in a conventional elevator apparatus disclosed in JP 2002-532366 A, the supply of electric power to an electromagnet is cut off when an activation signal is output from a safety control device. A friction brake is thereby moved to a rail engagement position, so a car is brought to an emergency stop. In the safety control device, a car speed signal is compared with a threshold signal, and an activation signal is output when the speed of the car exceeds the threshold.
With the conventional elevator apparatus as described above, when power failure occurs or when a power source for a building is turned off, the supply of electric power to the electromagnet is cut off and the car is brought to an emergency stop. Thus, when there is a passenger in the car, a worker must head to the scene and supply electric power to the electromagnet by means of a portable power source or manually move the car to the nearest floor, resulting in a great deal of time and effort to rescue the passenger.